Fiskars Agrees to Buy Owner of Wedgwood and Waterford

LONDON — The Fiskars Corporation, a Finnish maker of home and garden products, said on Monday that it had agreed to acquire the maker of Wedgwood china and Waterford crystal for $437 million.

The deal, if completed, would give the Fiskars Living division a strong presence in the United States and would enhance its market position in Europe and the Asia-Pacific region, the company said. The combined company would have sales of 1.17 billion euros, or about $1.31 billion, and 8,600 employees.

Fiskars plans to acquire 100 percent of the holding company of WWRD, which owns the luxury home and lifestyle brands Waterford and Wedgwood, as well as the tableware makers Rogaska, Royal Albert and Royal Doulton.

It will buy the business from the private equity firm KPS Capital Partners, which bought the WWRD brands in March 2009.

“Through the acquisition, we will create a strong presence for the Fiskars Living business in the U.S., and further enhance Fiskars’s market position in Europe and Asia-Pacific,” Kari Kauniskangas, the Fiskars president and chief executive, said in a news release. “Fiskars will now have a balanced portfolio of businesses.”

The transaction is subject to regulatory approval and is expected to close in July.

If the transaction is completed, the management of WWRD would report to Mr. Kauniskangas.

Under its various brands, WWRD manufactures and sells a variety of home goods, including bone china, crystal stemware and decorative items for the home.

The company had net sales of $432 million for the fiscal year ended April 4, with 44 percent of those sales in the United States. It has 226 retail stores, 76 of which are owned by the company, and employs 3,800 people in 14 countries.

Founded in 1649, Fiskars sells products for the home, garden and outdoors markets. It posted sales of €768 million in 2014 and employs 4,800 people in 20 countries.

Shares of Fiskars rose 4.9 percent to €18.75 in early afternoon trading on Monday in Helsinki.